


Finding a Home in the Valley

by PhoenixFire742



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Cussing, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, My First Fanfic, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:07:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29440191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixFire742/pseuds/PhoenixFire742
Summary: After being crushed by disappointment again, Phoenix leaves her job in the city to try her hand at farming. With nothing but determination pushing her forward, she'll do her best to make a living in Stardew...but will that be enough to consider this new place her home?
Relationships: Shane & Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 3





	1. Breaking Point

**Author's Note:**

> First ever fic! Sorry if it's too slow, or wordy, I'll do my best to keep it interesting!

Phoenix stared, dead-eyed at the email. _Dear Valued Employee…_ it started. She sneered at the following platitudes that were supposed to be encouraging, but just ended the same way the last three had; _We apricate your interest in the position PAYROLL TEAM LEAD but at this time, we have decided to go with a different candidate._ She seethed internally as the green WORK light flashed on and off. _All I ever do is work_ , she thought bitterly. She’d worked for Joja for four years, and from the very beginning she’d consistently been number one on her team. But three times, they turned her down for the team lead job. The first time she accepted it, seeing as she was still pretty new. The second time, she made excuses; told herself it was because the girl they chose had been there for three years already but now… She stared at the next email that had come through only a few minutes after the first. _We are proud to introduce our newest Team Lead: Marcus Summers!_ She was shaking with frustration…she’d trained Marcus five months ago!

The REST light started flashing red and she got up from her desk with everyone else. While she didn’t smoke herself, she knew the only daylight she would see would be from that little third story balcony that the smokers crowed every chance they got. She leaned against the rail, trying to catch a breeze when a coworker of hers leaned up next to her. “See the memo?” he asked with his wide smile, running his tongue over his teeth before lighting up.

Phoenix nodded, “Yeah, they picked Marcus…”

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!” Allen said, smiling.

“How do you do it?” she asked abruptly. “You were in the running too, and you’ve been here for almost as long as I have. How can you be so…upbeat about it?”

Allen pulled out a half full pill bottle, “Oh, just go see the doctors they’ve got on the ninth floor! They’re great guys up there. I used to be so down all the time, but now I just take one or two of these and I’ve got the pep back in my step!”

“Oh…er…no thanks…” she said when he shook the bottle again. He just smiled and turned to the person on his other side, striking up a conversation about grindball and leaving her with her thoughts. The warning chirp sounded, making everyone turn in unison and start filing back through the door. She leaned over the railing one last time and felt the warm wind push her hair back. Almost spring… she thought as she got to the back of the line.

Back at her desk she couldn’t focus. The constant tapping of keys and the subtle tick-tick-tick of the green light seemed to get louder with every second. She read the emails again and looked around her cube. If I left tomorrow, no one would notice, she realized suddenly. There was no personalization allowed at her desk (she’d learned that the hard way her first week) and all of her coworkers were… _crushed_ she thought, looking at the plain grey wall in front of her. Sure some of them tried to keep their spirits up, like Molly with her goth style, or Allen clinging onto manufactured happiness via the pills and energy drinks that littered his desk… She felt like she was at a cross roads; down one path was Joja and this job, sitting at this cube for three more years before she got promoted. Down the other path… she shuddered when she realized she didn’t _have_ another path. At least not one that was secure. _Quit_ , she thought suddenly, _and then what? Move back in with Dad? Take another year of college to get a job as far away from Joja as possible?_ She sighed and opened her ‘me’ drawer; the one she’d put all her personal belongings in her first week. She made it look like she was looking for something work related, shifting the pictures of her and her father from one side to another, lifting up the stack of letters he’d sent her and looking under them…then something purple caught her eye.

She picked up the thin envelope with the large purple wax seal and saw her name, neatly printed across the front in her grandfather’s handwriting. _One day your bright spirit will fade…_ she remembered him saying. _On that day, you’ll be ready…_ tears pricked her eyes as she slid her finger under the fold and popped up the wax.

_Dear Phoenix,_

_If you’re reading this you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago._

_I’d lost sight of what mattered most in life…real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_I’ve enclosed the deed to that place…my pride and joy: Spirit Farm. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the Sothern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name, my girl. Good luck._

_Love, Grandpa_

_PS. If Lewis is still alive say hi to the old guy for me, will ya?_

Behind the letter was an official looking piece of paper with a Ferngill Republic crest in the upper right corner and her grandfather’s signature at the bottom next to her name. It really was the deed to Spirit Farm! She felt elated, and then immediately crushed again. _How long has it been?_ She thought to herself, _twelve years?_ And she’d never paid a cent on inheritance or property tax. _It must’ve been retaken by the government by now…but maybe they haven’t used all the money from the sale yet. I could try to get what was left…maybe even buy some land of my own if…_ she sighed and neatly folded the letter back up and tucked it into her jacket pocket. _Don’t get ahead of yourself now._ She thought as she returned to her computer, going on autopilot to finish out the day.

Over the next few hours, while she plugged numbers into spreadsheets, she got more and more nervous. Her imagination ballooned from the farm being sold already to owing so much in back taxes she’d have to have her wages garnished until she retired. She only vaguely remembered meeting Lewis when they laid her grandfather to rest, and he seemed like a good guy, but the chances of him still being in office were slim. She wondered idly if he’d kept any keepsakes from the old farm (assuming he _was_ still in office) and if he’d be willing to send them to her. In the middle of her daydreaming a message popped up on her screen: Warning, your work day will end in 5 minutes. Please save all progress to the Joja employee file listed as Sterling, Janet, P. Contact your team lead for a 30-minute extension.

Phoenix sighed with relief and saved the work she’d been able to get done. She knew that she should request an extension to get the last file fully completed, but she was too overwhelmed to do anything useful today, and she knew she’d get a write up if Joja decided she was ‘abusing’ the extension privileges by staying and not working twice as fast as usual. At the five-minute mark all the computers simultaneously locked and flashed _Join Us Tomorrow! Thrive!_ as everyone gathered their jackets and hats and headed for the stairs. There was the usual babble bouncing around the stairwell; plans for drinks (even though it was only Wednesday), complaints about the software, and chatter about local tv programs. The crowed grew with every floor she passed, but they all eventually made it out to the street.

Some of the crowd banked right immediately, following the sidewalk down to the parking garage. The rest broke up into smaller groups, this one catching the north bound bus, that one the east bound, a few people disappearing around the corner to descend into the subway stop; Phoenix walked the normal three blocks to the south bound bus stop and leaned against the glass hutch that covered the three-person bench. She waved goodbye to her coworkers across the street as their bus rounded the corner, feeling a little jealous that they didn’t have to wait ten minutes like she did.

The only other person left at the stop with her was a man dressed in all black with a wide brimmed hat. “Beautiful day, eh?” he said when he noticed her standing near the bench.

“Yeah, spring’s right around the corner.” She said nodding.

“Such a nice season,” the man agreed, “I always make a bouquet out of the first wildflowers I see for my wife. Keeps that _spark_ of youth in us.” Before she could respond her bus pulled up.

She politely said goodbye, paid her fare and settled into her usual seat. She took her grandfather’s letter out again and carefully inspected the deed. She wondered vaguely if she’d have to present it to a court to prove she hadn’t known about it, or if it would matter at all if it was already sold. She wanted so badly to just call the town hall of Pelican Town, but she was almost afraid of what the mayor would tell her...


	2. Getting Ready

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After calling Pelican Town to see if her inheritance is still standing, Phoenix prepares to take the plunge into her new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow chapter/set up. Next chapter will probably be up tomorrow!

_Quick, like a band-aid_ , she thought as she stared at the phone number on the search page. _Whatever he’s got to say, you’ll have to hear it one way or another._ She pressed send on her phone and sank back into her couch…one ring…two…three…just when she thought she’d be able to leave a message the line clicked on, “Pelican Town Mayor’s office, Mayor Lewis speaking!” a cheery man answered.

“Uh…oh, hello! My name is Phoenix Sterling-” she stammered out.

“Sterling?!” the Mayor interrupted, “Abe Sterling’s granddaughter?”

“Uh, yes Abe was my grandfather…I just got a note he left me and…” she trailed off, unsure of how to broach the subject.

“Yes, yes!” the Mayor said, sounding excited, “He left you Spirit Farm! Are you calling to ‘collet’ so to speak?”

“Oh yes!” Phoenix said, suddenly giddy, before she remembered all her fears, “The only problem is…well it’s been twelve years and…”

“…Yes, go ahead,” the Mayor said, sound worried.

“Well…I don’t think I’ll be able to pay all the back taxes on the farm and-”

The Mayor cut her off again with a laugh, “Oh taxes, smacxes! As Mayor of Pelican Town, and bearer of the Ferngill Republic Seal, I declare all back taxes of Spirit Farm forgiven yada, yada, yada. I’ll draft an official form in the morning; that is…if you’re wanting to move in now. If not just let me know and we’ll keep you peaking at the letter our little secret.” He laughed again.

“Oh no! I mean yes! Yes, I’d very much like to move into the old farm!” Phoenix almost shouted, tears welling in her eyes again.

“Wonderful!” he said, sounding almost as excited as she was, “Just give me a few days to get everything ready. I’ll have the town carpenter check the water lines and patch any holes that’ve sprung up. We should be able to get it living ready by Sunday! Oh look!” he said suddenly, “That’ll put your first full day here on the first day of Spring! Some things just seem like they’re meant to be, eh?”

“Will that be enough time?” Phoenix asked, shocked.

“Oh plenty!” the Mayor said, “I’ve seen Robin build entire houses in three days before, so refurbishing the old cabin will be a piece of cake for her! And before I forget, you’ll have to book a ticket for Zuzu City to start with. We don’t have a bus line that runs into Stardew regularly, but I can make a few calls tomorrow to set everything up. We’ll see you Sunday!”

“Thank you! Oh my Yaba, thank you so much!” Phoenix said, tears rolling down her cheeks as the Mayor bid her a goodnight and hung up. After composing herself enough she made her next phone call. “Dad?” she said after the line clicked on. “Dad you’ll never guess what happened!”

“Now, honey…” her father said, after Phoenix had rambled her way through the explanation, “This is a very big decision…are you sure this is what you want?”

“Yes,” Phoenix said confidently, “I feel like…I don’t know how to describe it…it’s like I always knew I’d end up on Grandpa’s farm.”

Her father was quiet for a minute before he cleared his throat. “Ya know…that’s what your grandpa said when he bought the land. _It just feels like home_. He’d say whenever your mother or I would ask him why he stayed there, even after your grandmother passed. He never budged on that; even when he had to have the house downsized, he was adamant that he belonged there… I’m glad you’re following in his footsteps.”

Phoenix smiled proudly as she clicked through the booking process on the Steel Horse website. “I know you’re worried,” she said softly as her email chimed with her printable ticket. “But I’ll be ok, I promise.”

Her father laughed a little and teased her, “Oh sure, _you’ll_ be fine, but what about dear old dad, huh? This’ll probably end up costing us more than your college did.”

“I got a scholarship for college,” she teased back. “And I’ve got enough to cover the ticket to Zuzu City.”

“Uh huh, suuuuure you do.” He laughed, but Phoenix could hear the worry in his voice. “Won’t it be expensive to move all your things all the way to Stardew Valley?” he asked. “Do you need help? I’m sure I could rent a truck…”

“I don’t really have anything here.” Phoenix said, looking around sadly. “It’s company housing, remember? Joja owns all the furniture and wall decorations…that’s why I had to sell almost everything but my clothes when I moved here, remember?”

“Oh that’s right,” he said, “I never liked the idea of you leaving with nothing.”

“I know dad, but look how it turned out; all I needed was a thousand gold for the trip to Zuzu, my suitcase and that old backpack for my clothes.”

“I know honey, I know…but Yaba am I worried for you! How much money do you have left? I know Joja really underpaid you because of their ‘in house’ this and ‘discounted’ that run around.”

“I’m fine dad, I promise,” she said, looking at the nine hundred gold sitting in her account. “I’ve still got plenty for the trip.”

“What about _after_ the trip?” he continued, “do you have enough for food? What if all of grandpa’s furniture has rotted away and you need to replace it when you get there? Where will you sleep if there isn’t a usable bed?!”

“Dad!” Phoenix said, trying to hide her giggling, “I’ll be ok, I promise.”

Her father continued, thinking up the worst possible outcomes and building one off the other until she jokingly chastised him for keeping her on the phone until midnight. They said their I love you’s and goodnights before hanging up. Phoenix fell back into her bed and looked around the small studio she’d been living in for four years.

 _This isn’t_ my _studio though._ She thought sadly. _If I came back in a year, and they put me in another room, it’d look exactly the same._ She knew that only the people who commuted to the city had their own places, but she never managed to save up enough to rent, let alone _buy_ a place outside of the city. She closed her eyes and drifted off, feeling the excitement of a new adventure bubbling in her stomach.

She woke up at 5:30am, just like always. She put on her sweats and started her morning ‘yoga’ that was more or less just poses she remembered from old tapes her mother and her used to do together before they went to work and school respectively. At 6am she added water to the powered eggs and threw a few individually wrapped pancakes into the microwave. She wasn’t a fan of the instant food, but the ‘fresh’ produce was twice as expensive and half the time it was rotten by the time it got to the shop floor. She cringed as she sprayed the Joja brand butter flavoring onto the stack and started eating.

At 6:30am she walked down to her bus stop, and waited. She walked in the door at 6:50 and made a bee line for her boss’ office on the sixth floor. She knew the proper channel was lead-supervisor-manager, but she only had three days before she left for Pelican Town, and Yaba damn it she was _not_ going to spend two of them working. She knocked on the manager’s door and waited; hearing huffs and shuffling papers before the door swung open.

“Yes?” the manager asked briskly.

“Good morning, I’d like to hand in my resignation-”

“It goes to your team lead first, then your supervisor, then to me.” He snapped before trying to close the door on her.

“It’s not a two weeks’ notice.” She said, insistently pushing the paper towards him. “It’s effective immediately.”

The manager’s eyes grew slightly wider before he smirked at her, “If I could point you to our employee handbook anything less than a two weeks’ notice-”

“Results in me forfeiting the thirty-day notice for eviction and gives me one week to vacate the premises, if I live in company housing, an immediate termination of all health insurance and any Joja discounts I’m currently using. I know, and I’m resigning. Effective immediately.” She cut in, jamming the paper against his chest.

“Humph, very well then… _Janet_ ,” he said, looking at the signature to find her name, “See that you’re out by next Thursday, or we’ll remove all of your property _for_ you.”

“Phoenix,” she said boldly as she turned to leave, “My name, is _Phoenix._ ”

She took the elevator down two levels and made her way to her old desk to collect the rest of the letters and pictures she kept in her drawers. Her team lead came up behind her while she was carefully folding the letters and putting them in her pocket. “Janet, five minutes late I see.” The lead said, tapping a clipboard disapprovingly. “I know you’re upset about getting passed over, but you _can’t_ be vindictive like this. We need our best people in today, seeing as tomorrow is payday for all our loyal employees.” She suddenly felt a pang of guilt for leaving her coworkers on their busiest day, but it faded quickly as the lead kept tapping the clipboard. “Why don’t we go have a chat with the Supervisor about this; I’m sure she could recommend some great ways to handle the stress you’re under right now.”

“No, I don’t think I will.” Phoenix said, making the clacking of a few nearby keyboards stop momentarily.

The lead chuckled nervously, “I’m sorry, but I wasn’t _actually_ giving you an option in this.”

“There’s always an option,” She said brightly, making a few of her noisier coworkers peak over the top of their cubes. “And I’m opting out. I’ve already resigned with the Manager, I’m sure he’ll fill you in during your afternoon meeting.” And before he could respond, she walked back down the aisle, into the elevator, pushing the ‘G’ button and waiving to the few people who had turned to see her leave.


	3. Stardew: Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day one in the valley, with seeds to plan and people to meet, Phoenix tries her best to start her new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longer chapter today, sorry if it runs on, I couldn't find a good breaking point to make it shorter...

She woke up at five thirty, just like always. She showered and put on her favorite jeans, a grey t-shirt and a light jacket. She turned on the tv, flicking through the channels with the buttons on the side trying to see…well _anything_. _Welcome back to Living Off the Land! Here’s a tip for all you greenhorns out there. You can sell extra materials to earn some quick cash!_ An old man said, intersplicing clips of people piling armfuls of wood and stone in shipping boxes that looked almost exactly like hers. The next channel that came in clear was the weather channel, _And for tomorrow’s forecast: it’ll be a bright and sunny day!_ The only other channel that came in had a woman dressed in a blue robe waving her hands over a crystal ball. _It seems the spirits are pleased today. You’ll have a little extra luck!_ She shook her head with a laugh before something small and yellow caught her eye. She’d overlooked it the day before, sitting on her little table. _A little ‘Welcome Home’ present – Lewis_ the box said. Inside were a few seed packets with pictures of parsnips on the front. On the back were the planting instructions. She got momentarily nervous, wondering if she had enough for basic tools, but when she turned to leave she noticed a bunch of old rusty tools hanging from pegs by the door.

_Thank you, grandpa!_ She thought as she inspected the watering can and scythe. The can would definitely leak, and she wasn’t sure if the scythe could actually _cut_ anything with such a dull blade, but she was grateful none the less. After stringing all the tools to the outside of the backpack she grabbed the seeds from the table and headed out the door.

As she turned to close the door she noticed a note tapped at eye level. _Hope you had a good first night! Why don’t you try growing the seeds I left, just to see if you’ve got as much of a green thumb as your grandpa? Also, I found an old journal your grandpa gave me a long time ago; I’ve only used a few pages, but something tells me you’ll need it more than me. – Lewis_. She saw the leather-bound journal leaning up against the wall and thumbed through it quickly.

The first few pages only had sketches of people she’d never met before. There weren’t any names under them, _but there wouldn’t be, if the mayor already knew them_ , she thought as she got to the bottom of the third page and saw Robin’s sketch. But then she stared confused as Lewis’ sketch was under hers. She shrugged and filled in his and Robin’s names before turning the page.

The next page made her jump; it was a picture of _her_. It had five lines next to it: farming, mining, foraging, fishing and _combat_! She felt a shiver run down her spine as she quickly flipped the page and tried to put it out of her mind. The next page was a map of the valley, with little houses drawn in with the address neatly printed above them. She squinted at the writing, and couldn’t tell who’s it was, or if she’d ever seen it before.

The page after was mostly blank, but it had a few step-by-step guides: gates and fences, different ways to make walking paths, torches, a campfire, a few different signs and a chest. The page after had a few different pages, overlaid vertically like a pocket notebook. They were all blank at the moment, but she was sure she’d be able to find something to fill them up with. After that strange page the journal was empty.

She put the mayor’s note inside and closed the book, and checked her watch. She had to do a double take; not a minute had passed. She tapped her watch and held it up to her ear, hearing the faint _tick-tick-tick_ of the second hand told her it was still working. She felt slightly off put, knowing that she hadn’t spent _hours_ looking at the book, but that she hadn’t just glanced at it and closed it either. Feeling slightly overwhelmed she retreated back inside and splashed water on her face. _It has to be the watch_ she told herself. _It just…stopped working for a minute, that’s all._

Shaking her head she went back outside, picked up the scythe, and began clearing some of the weeds and wild grass from the area directly in front of her house. It was almost effortless, and she’d occasionally see a clump of rope like weeds all woven together. _That must be the fiber stuff the man on tv was talking about._ She thought the first time she saw it; and she got another surprise when she picked it up and a handful of seeds fell out. She put both of them in her backpack and went along clearing a wide area, keeping her eyes peeled for fibers and seeds as she went. After an hour she’d made a decent (to her at least) sized grass free area, so she switched to her ax. The dull blade made it hard to cut into the trees that were in her ‘clearing’ but she pushed through and finally had all four down. She was surprised at how easy they were to dismantle after they were on the ground, but she chalked that up to the adrenaline rush she got after finally seeing one fall, or having a stubborn stump finally split.

After the trees and logs were taken care of she moved on to the rocks, bringing the blunt end of the pickaxe down and splitting them into manageable chunks that she could move by hand. After all that work it was a breeze to hoe out three rows of five ‘spaces’ (six inches per planting space, as directed by the back of the seed pack) and drop the parsnip seeds into the ground. She vaguely wondered if she should plant the mystery seeds she’d found in the weeds too, but decided against it after she’d finished watering the little garden. _They might have weed seeds in them,_ she thought scattering the seven seeds around in her hand. _And that would ruin the parsnips._

She sat on her porch and stretched, admiring her handy work. She checked her watch and almost laughed. _It’s only one thirty!_ She thought, feeling the ache of the day already setting into her arms. She peered into her journal again, and had to blink a few times at the last page that had writing on it. Where the loose paper that Lewis had tapped to her door _had_ been, it was now bound into the journal. But instead of feeling afraid, she relaxed a little _so…there really **is** a little magic in the Valley._ She thought, remembering her grandpa going on about fairies blessing his crops, magic rings and monsters guarding treasure. She closed the book and checked her watch again. _Still one thirty…_ she thought, looking at the book and putting two and two together, _still enough time to go meet some of the town’s people._

She reached down to sling her backpack onto her shoulders and almost fell over from how much it weighed now. She started digging through an was shocked at how much _stuff_ had fit. Twelve rocks scattered to bottom of the bag, with almost sixty pieces of wood (all smooshed up against one side) next to her ten bundles of fiber. She groaned quietly as she noticed the droplets of sap that were clinging to the wood, but when she stuck her hand in the usually sticky mess pooled into her hand, leaving no residue. After thinking about where to put all the stuff, she opened her journal again and looked at the chest instructions. _Doesn’t look so hard…_ she thought as she counted out fifty pieces of wood. She was amazed at how easily it bent when the instructions called for her to shape the top of the chest in an arch, and then notch and fit the base of the chest together like a puzzle. After that there was a semi complicated hinge system, but she got that figured out on the second try. After she opened and closed it a couple times she closed the book and looked proudly at her first hand-made creation. She unloaded everything (except the tools she’d strung up on the pack, because she was half convinced she’d need them for _something_ while she wondered around), and slung the pack back on. _Much better!_ She thought as she started walking towards the bus stop.

As she passed the stop she got butterflies in her stomach, she didn’t know how the town’s people would react to her…or how _she’d_ react to them. She remembered her old apartment building, and how everyone wanted to be left alone and wondered how she’d make any friends if this town was the same. _But I still have to try…_ she thought as the path opened up into Pelican Town. She went into the first building she saw, which happened to be a doctor’s office. There was a brown-haired man with a mustache in a white medical coat standing behind the counter. “Oh, hello…?” he said, looking between the papers on the counter and her. “You are…?”

“I’m Phoenix!” she said brightly, “I just inherited my grandpa’s old farm.”

“Oh! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Harvey, the local doctor. I preform regular check-ups and medical procedures for all the residents of Pelican Town.”

“That’s great!” she said, at the lull, “Is it hard being the only doctor in town?”

Harvey shrugged, “It’s rewarding work. I hope you’ll find your own work equally rewarding, in time.”

“Thank you! I didn’t mean to interrupt, I just wanted to introduce myself.” She said, turning to leave.

“No worries, have a good day!” he said as she was halfway to the door.

“You too!” she called as she walked out. He chuckled to himself after she was gone. _I wonder how the rest of the town will like her..._ He thought as he returned to his work.

Phoenix went into the next shop and saw a young woman with red hair scanning a shelf. “Um, hello, I’m Phoenix, I just moved in.” she said, a little embarrassed to interrupt the woman.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you.” The woman said turning and smiling, “You picked a good time to move here…The spring is lovely. My name is Leah, by the way.”

“It’s nice meeting you, I hope I see you around.” Phoenix said, making her way further into the store.

There was another, older, woman in the next aisle. She had brown hair bound up in a braid and slung over her shoulder, to Phoenix’s surprise she was already looking over her shoulder towards the aisle entrance. “Ah, Mayor Lewis told me you just arrived.” She said, smiling broadly, “I’m Marnie! I sell livestock and animal care products at my ranch. You should swing by sometime, Phoenix.”

“Oh, I’m sorry but I don’t think I have anywhere to keep animals on my farm yet. Do you know if Robin can build something like that?”

“Of course she can!” Marnie said with a chuckle, “Robin can build just about anything, and it only takes her a couple days too.”

“Wonderful!” Phoenix said, “I’ll have to ask her about building one. Do you have any recommendations for starter animals?”

“Hmm…well, chickens would probably be the easiest. They mature relatively quickly, and if you get them from a hatchling, they’ll warm up to you faster than if you tried to befriend a full-grown chicken. Why don’t you stop by later in the spring, I might have a couple hatchlings that I’ll give you a deal on.”

“Oh, thank you!” Phoenix said smiling, “I’ll try my best to have a coop by then!” Marnie smiled and turned back to the shelf as Phoenix backed out of the aisle and almost ran into another woman.

She was thin and had shiny green hair pulled back into low pigtails at the bottom of her neck. “Hello! You must be Phoenix, the new farmer.” She laughed as caught Phoenix by the elbow.

“I’m so sorry!” Phoenix said, taking a respectful step backwards. “And, yes, that’s me.”

“I’m Caroline. My husband runs this general store. And have you met my daughter, Abigail? She’s the pale one with purple hair.” She gestured to the man behind the counter, and the young woman standing near one of the shelves on the far side of the store.

“Oh, I haven’t met them yet.” Phoenix said, looking over at the strangers.

“Go introduce yourself, I’m sure we’ll be running into each other a lot here…unless you prefer Joja…”

Phoenix stiffened at the name and narrowed her eyes slightly. “No, I don’t think I’ll be frequenting _that_ shop as long as I’m here.”

“That’s good to hear.” Caroline said, sounding relieved, “That store has been nothing but trouble since it moved in.” and with that, she nodded to Phoenix and was off out the door, waiving to Marnie and Leah as she went.

Phoenix shrugged and went over to the purple haired girl. “Hello, you’re Abigail, right?” she asked as the girl eyed her. “I just moved in, your mother told me your name.”

“Oh that’s right…” she said, brightening, “I heard someone new was moving onto that old farm.” She leaned in, trying to keep her father from hearing, “It’s kind of a shame, really. I always enjoyed exploring those overgrown fields by myself.”

Phoenix laughed, “Well, it’ll probably be a few months before I can get the farm cleaned up. Your welcome to stop by any time you want, as long as you keep out of the crop fields.”

“Really?!” she said, almost bouncing with excitement. “That’s awesome, thank you so much!”

Before she could say anything else the girl skipped out the room through a door Phoenix hadn’t noticed before. _Must be where they live_. She thought as she heard another door closing. She shrugged it off and approached the counter of the shop. “Hey, it’s Ms. Phoenix, the new farmer! I’m Pierre, owner of this general store. If you’re looking for seeds, my shop is the place to go. I’ll also buy produce from you at a good price! A little agriculture could really inject new life into the local economy!”

“Uh…hello.” She said, taken aback by the obviously practiced speech.

“Too much?” Pierre asked with a chuckle. “Eh, my wife told me it would be, but I figured I’d give it a shot anyways.”

Phoenix laughed with relief, “It’s ok, but I don’t think I’ll be buying any seeds today; Mayor Lewis gave me a few to try out, so I want to make sure I _can_ grow something before I try to expand my little garden.”

“Ah, yeah, it’d be a shame to find out you don’t have a green thumb _that way_.” He laughed. “Just stop by if it turns out your grandpa gave you that particular gift too.”

She thanked him and left, stopping just outside of the shop to write down the names of everyone she’d met so far under their little portraits in her journal. When she closed the journal, she noticed a bulletin board on the wall beside her. One side had “Help Wanted” in bold across the top, but was empty, and the other side had a calendar. There were notes of birthdays and two of the days had bold lines around them with “Egg Hunt” and “Flower Dance” taking up the whole square. She made a mental note to ask about those two, and set off again, this time towards a little house just south of the General Store.

She spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the town and meeting the people who lived there. As it turned out a boy named Alex lived with his grandparents Evelyn and George in the little house she stopped by after Pierre’s. Pam and Penny lived in the trailer next to it, and Clint the blacksmith lived across the river. Elliot lived on the beach, Haley lived in a rather spacious house with her sister (that Phoenix had yet to meet) and Jodi, Sam and Vincent lived next door to them. _Nine more people_ she thought as she entered the saloon for a rest.

There were a few people she introduced herself to, mainly Gus, the owner, and Emily (Haley’s sister) and Shane, Marnie’s nephew. Shane seemed cold, barking out a curt “I don’t know you. Why are you talking to me?” But Phoenix shrugged it off. _If him and Haley are the only two rude people in town, it’ll be a great place to live._ She thought as she scribbled the names down. She checked her watch and flinched at the time. _How is it already nine?_ She panicked, looking out the window at the darkness.

“Hey.” A voice behind her said, rough and almost uncaring. “Don’t worry about it being dark.” Shane leaned against the far wall, sipping his beer and glancing over at her. “It’s one of those, ‘no one locks their doors’ towns, so the only thing you’ll have to worry about is tripping on a rock or something.”

“Oh, thanks for letting me know.” She said with a smile, “I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He muttered as she walked out the door.

“Awful kind of you, Shane.” Emily teased as she brought him a refill.

Shane rolled his eyes and picked up the full glass, “I just didn’t want her to ask me to walk her home. That’s valuable drinking time.”

Emily rolled her eyes at him. “If that’s how you’re going to be to the new girl, I’m cutting you off!”

Shane smirked and rolled his eyes back at her, “Don’t know what you’re talking about, that’s just how I am.”

On the walk home Phoenix admired just how _at peace_ she felt. Back in the city, going outside after dark was one of those things that you just _didn’t do_ unless you were with a group, and seeing as she wasn’t the most liked person at Joja, her nighttime adventures were few and far between. But now, walking down the old dirt paths, all by herself she felt…relaxed. She made it home by ten and took off her dirty clothes before falling into bed; her stomach rumbled a bit but, seeing as she only had her five-hundred gold left, she was determined to rough it until she could afford a kitchen. _I just hope the parsnips taste good…_ she thought, imagining pulling out small misshapen vegetable when the harvest was ready. 


	4. Learning to Fish

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter! Sorry for not posting yesterday!

The next morning, at 5:30am her eyes opened and she sighed. _Maybe I’ll be able to sleep in one day…_ she thought as she made her way to the shower, slipping on the clothes pile from the night before. After she was showered and changed, she scrolled through the tv stations again; _it’ll be a beautiful sunny day tomorrow!_ The weather man said. _The spirits are pleased; you’ll have a little extra luck today!_ The fortune teller said. She couldn’t find the other station, but she shrugged it off and headed outside.

She hummed softly as she watered her little garden and gazed out over the field, wondering where to start. She glanced back towards the town and noticed she had a mailbox right next to the shipping bin with a little white tab sticking up. Curious, she opened the front flap and saw a letter sitting inside; a small off-white envelope with only _Spirit Farm_ written across the front. She opened the letter carefully and read the attached note. Someone named Willy had, apparently, just returned to town last night and had already heard that there was a new farmer; so he wanted to meet her. Checking her watch, she decided 7am was too early for a social call, especially if the man had just returned last night, so she went about clearing another ‘plot’ of land next to her house.

After clearing the grass and branches, she checked her watch again; 8:30am. _It’ll probably take me about an hour to get to the beach…_ she thought, looking at the letter again. She was torn between finishing the clearing and going to introduce herself, but in the end, she reasoned that she could clear the trees at any point in the day; so she set off towards town. She made it to the beach almost exactly an hour later and met Willy. He was the town fisherman and had ‘just’ gotten enough money for a new rod on his latest voyage, but Phoenix had the suspicion that he was trying to downplay something when he gave her his old rod. When she shyly confessed she didn’t know the first thing about fishing, he was kind enough to give her a demonstration and helped her bring in her first fish.

After another hour he proclaimed her “A natural angler!” and invited her into his shop to buy the fish off her. He regaled her with sea voyaging tales as he weighed each one, and ‘causally’ mentioned that she might want to try fishing the river and lakes to get a better verity of fish. She thanked him as she left, excited to see what she’d catch in the river that ran through the town.

“Phoenix…? Earth to Phoenix?” a voice called a few hours later as she reeled in another sunfish.

“Uh…oh! Sorry Mayor, am I in your way?” she asked with a start, realizing she’d been so focused on fishing she hadn’t realized she was blocking the footpath between the river and the side of his house.

“No, no, you’re fine.” He said with a chuckle. “I see you’ve met Willy.”

“Yeah, he was so nice!” she gushed, “He even gave me his old rod for free! And then he bought my first catch off me.”

Lewis laughed again, “I should’ve warned you about him. He’s been trying to get rid of that rod for years. I can take it back to him if you’d like.”

“Oh no!” Phoenix said quickly, “I’m actually starting to get the hang of it, look!” she turned and showed the Mayor the fish she’d strung to the outside of her pack. She’d already managed to catch eight, but she also had some trash and algae that got caught on her line.

The Mayor groaned, “Oh, not another one…” he said, waving his hand in front of his face. “Just try not to…uh, _clean_ them in public, ok?”

“Oh, of course not!” she said, turning back to the Mayor looking confused.

“It’s…a long story.” He said with a chuckle. “But just so you know, I’ll take the fish from your shipping bin too, _even if they smell._ ”

Phoenix laughed, “Thanks. Oh, one more thing… where do I put letters that need to be sent out? I couldn’t find a drop box anywhere yesterday.”

“Oh, just put them in your mailbox with the flag up. I’ll pick them up when I collect anything from your shipping bin.” The Mayor said kindly.

“Great, thank you so much!” she said, unhooking the fish and walking down the path a bit so the mayor could pass.

At 2:30pm she made her way back to Willy’s shop and sold the smaller fish she caught. While making small talk as he weighed the fish, she mentioned her intentions of ‘camp fire cooking’ until she could get a kitchen again. “Oh, that’s a fine idea, lass,” he said, laying the bills out one at a time on the counter. “But uh…do ya know how to clean a fish?”

Phoenix’s face flushed as she looked away. “Not exactly…but I’m sure I’ll be able to figure it out in a few days.”

Willey chuckled and shook his head. “I admire yar spirit, lass. But let ol’ Willey show ya a thing or two; so you don’t go hungry tonight.”

“You’ve shown me so much already!” she laughed, holding up the string of fish she’d kept. “I couldn’t ask you to do _more_.”

“It’s no worries, lass. Let’s have the big fella there,” he said, gesturing to the biggest sunfish she’d landed that day. He explained the different ways of cooking a fish, and how if she was going to skewer it over a fire, it’d be best to just remove the organs and leave everything else on until after it cooked. He also showed her how to completely clean a fish, ‘just in case ya have a lazy day.’ She thanked him repeatedly as she left the shop, and made a beeline for the general store.

She arrived at 4:40pm and was greeted with a smile from Pierre. “Uh…just so you know we close in twenty minutes…” he said awkwardly.

“Oh! Sorry! I just need some paper plates and plastic forks…” she laughed, darting down an aisle and picking up what she needed. She grabbed a pack of napkins and trash bags too, and hurried to the counter.

“Don’t be sorry; my wife is still running her aerobics class, I just didn’t want you to be disappointed if you wanted to browse and I ended up stepping away to restock the shelves.”

“Aerobics class?” Phoenix asked, looking around confused.

“Oh it’s in the back, just through that door.” He said pointing, “A lot of the ladies in town come here once a week for exercise. If you want to join them, just pop back and talk to my wife about it!”

“Oh! Maybe some other time…” Phoenix said with a laugh, “I’m getting a _lot_ of exercise on the farm right now.”

“Oh I bet!” Pierre laughed, “Have a good night now!”

“You too!” Phoenix said, heading back out the door.

She made it back to her farm with _just_ enough light to read the instructions for a campfire. She felt giddy when it lit, and with the added light she was able to skewer the fish just like Willey had told her to and angled it over the flames. As it cooked she retrieved the stationary she’d brought from her suitcase and wrote her parents a long letter, describing the cottage and town, and all the people she’d met so far.

She fell into bed a few hours later, content with her stomach being full and the letter safely in the mailbox ready to be sent out. As she drifted off to sleep she could hear the soft hooting of an owl and the rustle of leaves. _She woke up in her studio, surrounded by all the business clothes she’d had before… **before what?** She thought, picking them up. **What was I going to do with these?** She shrugged and started hanging them up in the closet. Just as she got the last shirt on a hanger a cold dreed filled her stomach. **What day is it?** She thought, looking for a calendar. **Was I supposed to work today…? No,** she thought, **I quit, didn’t I?** suddenly there was a pounding on the door. **Janet?** A voice called from the other side, **Janet, your allotted time is up. You need to leave the premises immediately.** Cold fear shot through her as she realized she’d just un-packed everything. **Just a minute!** She called, frantically trying to gather everything together again. **Unfortunately your time is up. I’m unlocking the door now.** The voice said coldly. The handle turned and the door flung open with a bang. And…_

Phoenix woke up with a start, shaking and sweating. She stumbled into the bathroom and splashed water on her face a few times before taking a long pull directly from the faucet. _Just a dream…_ she told herself. _No one from Joja is going to show up here._ She dried her face and jumped when she checked her watch. Wed. 12:01am, the display read. She almost laughed to herself, _I wonder if the cleaning crew just started? Maybe they already had her replacement living there…_ she crawled back in bed and wrapped the blanked around her; _this is my home now…_ she thought happily as she drifted off again.


End file.
